A witness reported that Kennedy was tailgating him most of the way from Lake City and frequently swerved over to the left lane as if she intended to pass him.

Kennedy passed him near Frontenac, but farther down Highway 61 her vehicle crossed the center line and hit a U-Haul trailer being pulled by a southbound Chevy pickup driven by Dave Renelt of Watertown, S.D. Renelt's wife was in the vehicle, but neither of them was seriously injured.

After losing control from hitting the U-Haul, Kennedy hit a southbound Ford F350 pulling a trailer and driven by Rick Voshart of Brownsville, Minn. The trailer flipped. Voshart suffered no apparent injuries.